Visiting Tutors at Quest

Of the many benefits of the block program at Quest, one of the ones I value the most is that it allows for tutors from all over the world to come teach just a month of classes. This is harder at universities that run on the semester program because professors usually have to commit four months of time instead of just one. This kind of flexibility gives so many opportunities not only to students, but to the visiting tutors as well.

I know people at Quest who have taken almost all of their classes with tutors who are visiting, and some who haven’t yet taken any. Personally, I love the chance to get a new perspective and hear about my tutor’s other life on the opposite side of the world. I love to travel but I don’t have the capability to do nearly as much of it as I’d like, so when I get to listen to stories about the cultures, politics, and environments of Spain, Turkey, and Afghanistan, I feel like my class experience is enriched so much more.

Another thing I love about visiting tutors is that most of them aren’t used to teaching on the block plan, and they take the opportunity to try out things they normally wouldn’t be able to at another school. All of the visiting tutors I’ve had have been thrilled to finally be able to lead that activity they’ve been thinking about, take a field trip they’ve always wanted to, or assign an intensive project that would only work well on the block plan where the class meets every day. Although it can sometimes be a bumpy road for tutors who are used to spreading out their classes over an entire semester, and sometimes these innovative approaches tutors take end up going in unplanned directions, the visiting tutors on our campus are an undoubtedly essential and vibrant part of academics at Quest.